FrenchFaire un malheur
Meaning: To cause a scene with serious consequences — or, oppositely, to be a runaway success.
Literally: To make a misfortune
Example: “Le jeune groupe a fait un malheur au festival.” — The young band brought the house down at the festival.
English equivalent: To bring down the house
Equivalents in other languages
English: bring the house down
Origin: Two senses that point in contrary directions. The first is the plain one and dates from the middle of the 19th century: retenez-moi, ou je vais faire un malheur ! — hold me back or I'll do something we'll all regret — said by someone angry enough to break things, where the malheur is exactly what it says. The second is much more recent and started in show business, where a performance that fait un malheur delights everyone concerned. It is simple antiphrasis, saying the opposite of what you mean for effect, the same move as calling a hard life la vie de château (the life of the manor). Faire mal works the same way — ce film, il va faire mal ! is high praise.
More French idioms
- Se retrouver une main devant, une main derrière To be left with absolutely nothing.
- Avoir vu le loup Said of a young woman, to have had sex; also, in some regions, to be hoarse.
- Ne pas y aller de main morte To hit hard; to act without the slightest restraint.
- Bourrer le mou To feed someone lies; to try to con them.
- Enculer les mouches To split hairs; to fuss over trivial detail. Vulgar.
- Être dans la mouise To be broke and in real trouble.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- C'est dans les vieux pots qu'on fait la meilleure soupe Experience, and older people, often do things best.
- Un chien regarde bien un évêque Even the humblest person has some rights in front of the powerful.
- Un coup de langue est pire qu'un coup de lance Hurtful words do more harm than physical blows.
Keep exploring